Owner: “Every small town needs a pizza place.”

It’s fitting that East Coast Pizza Connection sits at an intersection where two roads meet.

And the Colone family doesn’t just connect customers with great Italian food, but also brings them in as part of their family.

Owner Rob Colone comes from a family steeped in the tradition of Italian cuisine. His father came to the United States from Italy and opened up pizzerias across the country. Making good pizzas is in Colone’s blood, since he’s helped his family in the food industry since he was 5 years old.

“If you’re looking for a classic, small town pizzeria and the warmth of that feeling, you come in here,” said the 28-year-old Rob. “Every small town needs a pizza place.”

The Colones strive to have the most authentic, New York-style pizza they can get. They cook their pizzas in a brick oven with no screens and no pans — pizzas cook right on the bricks to give it a nice texture and taste.

“When you have the Colone name behind a product we want to ensure it’s going to be perfect, with fresh ingredients and the best cheeses,” Colone said. “It’s not the menu, it’s the fact that whenever you walk in here you’re going to see the owner and his family.”

Along with pizza pies in many varieties, East Coast Pizza Connection also has subs and wings. Rob has created his own rub for his chicken wings that is so hot that people need to sign a waiver.

“It’s a combination of the first and second hottest peppers in the world: the Carolina reaper and the ghost peppers,” he said. “Forty people have tried to eat these wings, and only seven have done it.”

Those seven people have their pictures on the wall and have received a gift card to the restaurant. Cikibe challenges anyone who thinks they can do it.

East Coast Pizza Connection also hosts family nights on Tuesdays, where families can come in and watch a movie with their kids on a big-screen television that Colone has sitting in the corner. There are also records lining the walls that customers can request to have played.

The eatery is also getting a delivery service up and running and hopes to have it operating by mid-November.

“A family of four can come in here and spend $20 for a large pizza, large fry and drinks,” Rob said. “I would put our product up against anything around here.”

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East Coast Pizza Connection is the place to go for great pies in Pittsville.(Photo11: JUSTIN MCCLURE PHOTO)